Beginning 9/13 All DCL Cruisers to Bahamas Must Take Covid Test at Port

[DCLMP]

I thought the vaccine would be the thing we had to do which, admittedly, is the biggest reason we rushed to get it the moment we could back in March. And now this. I mean, at the time we booked fully vaxxed passengers were good to go. Proof of full vaccination and welcome aboard. I’ve done everything I agreed to. I honored the commitments I made. Too bad Disney isn’t.

I’m pretty surprised and disappointed DCL isn’t allowing me to cancel as well. Seems they let other VGT cruisers cancel. Other friends are getting totally different stories. It’s crazy. When we decided to book a cruise we were on the fence with which line to book. We’ve had great experiences with 3 cruise lines. But, what it boiled down to was confidence that Disney would be the most likely to do the right thing if something should change. Boy did that one blow up in my face. This would be our 21st sailing with Disney. Disappointed is a monumental understatement. Im not one to never say never but I won’t make the mistake of falling for the concept of “the Disney difference” again.

Maybe because you used a TA. I feel like I’m better at advocating for myself and escalating things if I need to. I’m not sure how much TA’s are willing to push things.

 

[johnkerryP]

Greetings Cruise Lovers,
With Disney performing COVID testd at the port and denying boarding for any party with positive results, then can we ditch the masks, have other folks besides our party at the dinner room table, get close to the Disney characters, and other countless items lost.
Does that make sense?
The ship is COVID free.
Just something that pop in my head.
Thanks and take care,
glen

Baby steps! But someday soon, maybe!

 

[seasalt81]

Well carnival and royal just changed to 2 days... so when does DCL follow....

That’s for vaccinated passengers. DCL is testing vaccinated passengers at the port, so it’s not an issue. The CDC guidance for unvaxxed still says 3 days, so I assume DCL sticks with that.

 

[DCLMP]

I understand your concern and think that you probably have quite a bit of anxiety about this whole situation. I do as well and I would like to make some suggestions to possibly help you and others out. Go out ASAP and get your hands on some BinaxNOW tests. They are fairly cheap, about $23 for 2 tests, and are somewhat hard to find in stock right now. Make your plane reservations for no more than the day before your cruise. IE: If you are cruising on Fri plan to go to FL on Thursday. The night before your plane trip take your BinaxNOW tests 2 per person. If there are any positives, cancel. My understanding is that false negatives are more likely than false positives hence why you are taking 2 tests per person. If you are a Costco member, make a car reservation for the day of your cruise at the port. This way you will at least have a vehicle. You can cancel same day without a penalty. Don't count on or expect Disney or anyone else to do anything for you. If they do, great. If not, then you need to be prepared to take care of yourself and your family. I heard that RCL is taking care of their customers that test positive at the port, but only if they have a negative test result with them taken within I think 48 hours of arrival (the BinaxNOW unsupervised don't count)

Any other suggestions that people have I would like to hear. Let's not assume that Disney will help out in any way for port positives, beyond the refund of the cruise. Disney is running on cheap mode right now.

I just took the attitude whatever happens happens. We were at Universal for 4 nights before cruise. I didn’t really worry about it until we took the test. It’s the longest hour ever.
Before that our flight was delayed, our rental car broke down on the way to Universal and we got stuck on a rollercoaster for 30 minutes. Since bad things happen in threes I figured we were in the clear after that. .

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Maybe because you used a TA. I feel like I’m better at advocating for myself and escalating things if I need to. I’m not sure how much TA’s are willing to push things.

We’ve been using a TA for a decade and oftentimes when it’s time to go to bat, it’s taken care of before I know anything about it. This is the first time it’s not worked out. The bigger problem is Disney making changes without properly informing their call center cast and the agents that sell their products. Let’s be honest. It falls back to Disney. She sat on the eternal hold on my behalf. I didn’t have to. She was given bad information by uninformed cast.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Greetings Cruise Lovers,
With Disney performing COVID tests at the port and denying boarding for any party with positive results, then can we ditch the masks, have other folks besides our party at the dinner room table, get close to the Disney characters, and other countless items lost.
Does that make sense?
The ship is COVID free.
Just something that pop in my head.
Thanks and take care,
glen

No. Even if everyone tested negative on boarding, it doesn't mean that everyone is totally COVID free.

I don't see a lot of things, like actually standing next to the characters, returning for some time. Masks, I hope they keep that requirement. If nothing else, it will also cut down on the cold/respiratory illnesses that seem to be quite prevalent on cruises.

This isn't going to be all magically "over" at a set time.

 

[BlueRibbon]

Greetings Cruise Lovers,
With Disney performing COVID tests at the port and denying boarding for any party with positive results, then can we ditch the masks, have other folks besides our party at the dinner room table, get close to the Disney characters, and other countless items lost.
Does that make sense?
The ship is COVID free.
Just something that pop in my head.
Thanks and take care,
glen

Totally agree. There are no mass gatherings inside, except in restaurants, where people take off their masks anyways. On our recent cruise, we hardly ran into anyone inside, so if everyone is now tested before arrival and tested at port or tested at port and vaccinated, it all makes you wonder. The sooner masks are gone, the better.

 

[diablodancer]

No. Even if everyone tested negative on boarding, it doesn't mean that everyone is totally COVID free.

I don't see a lot of things, like actually standing next to the characters, returning for some time. Masks, I hope they keep that requirement. If nothing else, it will also cut down on the cold/respiratory illnesses that seem to be quite prevalent on cruises.

This isn't going to be all magically "over" at a set time.

This - the UK sailings have had some positive cases with all these measures so it’s not “covid-free”. The measures work as a package to help but odd cases do still crop up due to testing failures/incubation periods.

And likewise don’t see standing next to the characters resuming anytime soon - not sure if DCL cast members are unionised in the same way as the parks (suspect not) but can’t see cast members wanting to stand next to and hug lots of people at present.

 

[DCLMP]

No. Even if everyone tested negative on boarding, it doesn't mean that everyone is totally COVID free.

I don't see a lot of things, like actually standing next to the characters, returning for some time. Masks, I hope they keep that requirement. If nothing else, it will also cut down on the cold/respiratory illnesses that seem to be quite prevalent on cruises.

This isn't going to be all magically "over" at a set time.

This was the first time my son didn’t come home with a cold after cruising.

 

[KevinFL]

I just took the attitude whatever happens happens. We were at Universal for 4 nights before cruise. I didn’t really worry about it until we took the test. It’s the longest hour ever.
Before that our flight was delayed, our rental car broke down on the way to Universal and we got stuck on a rollercoaster for 30 minutes. Since bad things happen in threes I figured we were in the clear after that. .

Yes, agreed that is the right attitude at this point!!!
And same here that test felt like a long 1.5 hours for us and you start picturing the possibility of a positive result and being denied boarding and being displaced at noon in Pt Canaveral. But then once you get that negative result and are onboard then the testing part becomes a quick memory.

 

[DCLMP]

Yes, agreed that is the right attitude at this point!!!
And same here that test felt like a long 1.5 hours for us and you start picturing the possibility of a positive result and being denied boarding and being displaced at noon in Pt Canaveral. But then once you get that negative result and are onboard then the testing part becomes a quick memory.

It was really exciting to be back on a Disney ship after two years. When you look at the protocols online it does sound awful, but once your on the ship it was fine. Other than masking indoors it was really a fantastic four days. Great weather, great food, and great service.
There weren’t the usual non stop activities in the vibe, but the kids had a great time just socializing and hanging out. My son didn’t come in until around 1 every morning. I could see middle and grade school kids possibly getting bored, but don’t recall seeing any unhappy looking kids.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Also, under 12s are not vaccinated and while tested, masking is still advised.

 

[Jim Libasci]

Disney only accepts rapid PCR tests, not the rapid antigen tests (which is what the vast majority of rapid tests are). I have only found one place in northeast Florida doing rapid PCR tests and they cost $195/each and insurance doesn’t cover it. If DCL adopts the 48-hour rule, I have no idea how regular PCR test will be returned in time. Some are, but so many people around my area wait a few days before results come back. The sailing would be over before results could come back!

that's not the case here. there's only a few states that are making acurate testing hard and expensive.

 

[DCLMP]

that's not the case here. there's only a few states that are making acurate testing hard and expensive.

I think guaranteeing a test back within 24 hours is going to cost you no matter what state you live in. When I was getting tested every week for my job I always got the results back in 24 hours, but it wasn't guaranteed and honestly I didn't care when the results came in. It's a whole new level of stress when you need the results back for a vacation you've paid thousands of dollars for. It was worth it for us to pay the 150 dollars and have peace of mind. We got the results back in about 10 hours... within 24 hours was guaranteed.

 

[JWelch62]

I think guaranteeing a test back within 24 hours is going to cost you no matter what state you live in. When I was getting tested every week for my job I always got the results back in 24 hours, but it wasn't guaranteed and honestly I didn't care when the results came in. It's a whole new level of stress when you need the results back for a vacation you've paid thousands of dollars for. It was worth it for us to pay the 150 dollars and have peace of mind. We got the results back in about 10 hours... within 24 hours was guaranteed.

Just did a quick search by me (San Diego area). A 2 hour rapid PCR is $299. Expedited (1 day turn) is $150. Yowza.

 

[BlueRibbon]

We're in Orange County and have seen also that the RT-PCR tests that give results in less than 24hrs are also at the $150 price point. Thankfully we only have one kid that is under 12!

 

[Intr3pid]

We're in Orange County and have seen also that the RT-PCR tests that give results in less than 24hrs are also at the $150 price point. Thankfully we only have one kid that is under 12!

Try an airport for a rapid test. They sometimes subsidize testing to drive traffic.

 

[tvguy]

Greetings Cruise Lovers,
With Disney performing COVID tests at the port and denying boarding for any party with positive results, then can we ditch the masks, have other folks besides our party at the dinner room table, get close to the Disney characters, and other countless items lost.
Does that make sense?
The ship is COVID free.
Just something that pop in my head.
Thanks and take care,
glen

No, as has been mentioned, the current setup just is designed to catch people who are already infected. You could be exposed on the way to the port and test negative that day, and positive the next At this point, I think we have to look at current status of the pandemic outside the cruising world, follow the cruise rules, and hope they aren't forced to shutdown again. A growing number of ports that said "welcome back" a few months ago are the one's that are tightening restrictions or saying "stay home for now"

 

[MermaidsMom]

Just did a quick search by me (San Diego area). A 2 hour rapid PCR is $299. Expedited (1 day turn) is $150. Yowza.

No wonder they’re pushing testing so hard! Wow, at those prices this could last forever, or at least as long as people will get in line and let their insurance pay for it.

 

[tvguy]

Just did a quick search by me (San Diego area). A 2 hour rapid PCR is $299. Expedited (1 day turn) is $150. Yowza.

Yowza for sure. The PCR test is free here. My daughter had two tests in August, different places, one was Rite Aide. She had her results in 12 hours.